Toothbrush



March 14, 1933. H P' DUEY 1,901,230

TOOTHBRUSH Filed April 5, 1952 Patented Mar. l 14, 1933 STATES wei-,23e i HAROLD PALMER DEY, or Los ANGELES, canrroamn Y Application mea April 5, i932. serial No. @cassa rl`his invention relates to a tooth brush and has as its primary object the provision of a tooth brush which is so shaped las to facilitate cleansing of the teeth by manipulation of the brush With a rotary movement.

i Another object is to provide a tooth brush embodying bristles the outer ends of which are so arranged as to impart to the brush end a generalV circular outline with the central l0 portion thereof recessed relative to the marginal poriion whereby the/bristle ends may be readily caused to effect a brushing action on the irregular contours of the rteeth and permit the marginal bristles being Worked into the recesses or spaces between adjacent teeth. f Y

With the foregoing objects in View, together With such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the inven- `tion resides in the parts, and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed and illusrated by way of example in the accompanydrawing, in which:

Fig. l is a View of the tooth brush as seen in sid-e elevation;

F 2 is a plan View of theouter end of the brush head;

3 is a cross sectional View of the brush head as seen on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, with parts shown in elevation.

Referring to the drawing more specifically, indicates generally the brush handle and B designates the brush head. The handle fx embodies a shank 5, which may be of any suitable construction, but has one end thereof bentv to extend at an angle relative to the general length of the shank, Which bent end portion terminates in a frusto-conical 40 shell .7, the reduced end portion of which leads from the end of the curved portion of the shank with the axis of the shellY extending at an obtuse angle relative'to the general length of the shank. The outer end of the shell '.7 is open and affords a recess 8 for the reception of bristles constituting the brush head B. The shell 7 is preferably formed integral with the shank 5.

In carrying out the invention, the brush 59 head B is formed with a series of individual tufts 9 of bristles disposed in an annular are rangment so as to impart to the brush head a general circular form the outer ends of the tufts. 9. rlhe tufts 9 areeach of -substan` tially circular cross section andpreferably terminate at theiroute'r ends on a common plane, as here shown, but may be formed of any suitable contour. The individualv tufts .9`are formedwith the bristlesthereof Aclose l K together so as to render the tufts compact, '60' andthe tufts are. arranged With adjacentA tufts spaced apart throughout `the lengths thereof a distance approximately correp sponding to the end diametersof the'tufts, thusfaffording a Well defined clearance be- G5 tween the tufts Which -Will permit ofready lateral flexing of the bristlesland-also pro-k Vide spaceWhich Will facilitate cleansing of thebrush.y n' Y j' uA feature-of the invention resides in the '70 provision of a central tuft 10V of bristleslof a length shorter than that of the tufts 9 and arranged Wthits outer end recessed rela# tive'to the outer ends ofthe tufts 9 so that. the outer end portions of the latter! Will* protrude beyond the outer end of the tuft 10,

KVas particularly shown in Fig. 3. Y kThe outer ends of the central tuft l() is here shown as flat but may be of any desired contour. The inner ends of the tufts 9 and l() are carried 80 in the shell Z and are secured in place therein in any suitable manner, being here shown as embedded in a hardened plastic material ll. The tufts 9 and 10 are substantially frusto Yconical in form, arranged With theirl en- '85 larged end portions outermost, and the tufts 9 are disposed in angular-relation to the axis of the central tuft 10 with thefinner side v portions of the tufts 9 spacedfrom the tuft l0, thus imparting a general frusto-conical i90" form tothe brush head. yA Well defined gap is afforded between'the periphery of the cen-l tral tuft l() and the adjacenttufts 9 so as to permit lateral exing of the bristles of the central tuft independent ofthe bristles 95 of the outer tufts 9. l

The central tuft l() is vpreferably .formed With its `outer end of larger diameter than the outer ends of the tufts 9, and by reason Y of the bristles thereof being shorter in length :10G

than those forming the outer tufts is more re- I sistant to bending than the latter. In other words, the bristles of the outer tufts are more subject to exure than those of the central tuft.

By the provision of the recessed central tuft l() with the outwardly inclined tufts 9 spaced therearound the outer ends of the bristles of the brush head are adaptedl to effecta brushing action on the convex surfaces of the teeth and -the protruding outer end portions of the tufts 9 are adapted to be readily projected into the crevices yor recesses between adjacentteeth by reason of their outer ends protruding beyond the outer ends of the bristles of the central tuft 10.

Furthermore, the ends of the bristles` of the central tuft 10 being recessed relative to the outer ends of the tufts 9 and the latter being inclined outwardly permits spreading or splaying of the outer bristle relative to the central tuft without eecting excessive bending of the bristles of the central tuft, thereby increasing the durability of the brush.

I claim:

1. In a tooth brush, a brush head comprising a central tuft of bristles, and an annular arrangement of spaced individual tufts of bristles encircling said central tuft and protruding at their outer ends beyond the outer end of said central tuft.

2. In a tooth brush, a brush head comprising a central tuft of bristles, and an annular arrangement of tufts of bristles encircling said central tuft and lprotruding at their outer ends beyond the outer vend of said central tuft, said annular arrangement oftufts being spaced from said central tuft to form a gap therebetween.

3. In a tooth brush, a brush head comprising a central tuft of'bristles, and an annular arrangement of tufts of bristles encircling said central tuft and protruding-at their outer ends beyond the outer end of said central tuft, the tufts of said annular arrangement being inclined outwardly and being spaced from said central tuft to form a gap therebetween.

4. In a tooth brush, a brush head comprising a central tuft of bristles, and a series of spaced tufts of bristles disposed in annular arrangement around said central tuft and spaced therefrom to form a gap'between said central tuft and said series of spaced tufts, said series of tufts being formed of bristles exceeding'the length of those forming the central tuft with and having their outer ends protruding beyond the outer ends of the central tuft to render the bristles of said annular arrangement of tufts; more subject to bending than those of the central tuft.

HAROLD PALMER DUEY. 

